Dearest Missionaries in Nagoya,
On the last page of the July 2012 Liahona is an article entitled “Unspotted from the World” by Julie
Thompson. She wrote of a personal
experience in the Bountiful Utah Temple.
I encourage you to read her article with the thought that our homes where
we live (your apartment) are next to the temple as a sacred place and where we
can enjoy the Spirit of Lord. Often we
think of cleaning our apartments as menial jobs that we must do as a matter of
duty.
One day in the temple
before starting to clean the temple, she tells about her meeting in a small
chapel for a devotional. “The custodian who conducted the devotional said
something that will forever change the way I look at temple cleaning
assignments. After welcoming us, he proceeded to explain that we were not there
to clean things that didn’t need cleaning but to keep the Lord’s house from ever
becoming dirty. As stewards of one of the most sacred places on earth, we had a
responsibility to keep it spotless.”
His message
penetrated my heart, and I proceeded to my assigned area with a new enthusiasm
to protect the Lord’s house. I spent time with a soft-bristled paintbrush,
dusting the tiny grooves in door frames, baseboards, and the legs of tables and
chairs. Had I been given this assignment on an earlier visit, I might have
thought it ridiculous and carelessly brushed over the areas in an effort to
appear busy. But this time, I made sure the bristles reached into the tiniest
of crevices.
“I
first realized that I never paid attention to such minute details in my own
home but cleaned those areas that others would see first, neglecting those known
only to members of my family and me. I next realized that there were times when I
had lived the gospel in a similar fashion—living those principles and
fulfilling those assignments that were most obvious to those around me while
ignoring things that seemed known only to my immediate family or me. I attended
church, held callings, fulfilled assignments, went visiting teaching—all in
full view of members of our ward—but neglected to attend the temple regularly,
have personal and family scripture study and prayer, and hold family home
evening. I taught lessons and spoke in church but sometimes lacked true charity
in my heart when it came to interactions with others. That night in the temple, I studied the
paintbrush in my hand and asked myself, “What are the little crevices in my
life that need more attention?” I resolved that rather than plan to repeatedly
clean the areas of my life that needed attention, I would try harder never to
let them become dirty.
I remember my temple-cleaning lesson each
time we are reminded to keep ourselves “unspotted from the world” (James 1:27).
May we take a fresh look at our
apartments. May we clean and live in a
way that shows our appreciation to the Lord for providing a place to lay down
and rest our heads after a day of laboring in the “vineyard”, a place to be
nourished, a place to seek the Spirit and to prepare for our missionary
service.
In addition to being clean, please
consider your stewardship over the resources of the earth and the community in
which we live. In times of extreme
weather, hot or cold, how efficiently we use resources like electricity and
gas, will make a difference to others.
At this time, remember to turn your air conditioning off when you are
not in the apartment. If you close the
drapes and windows, it will reduce the amount of radiant heat that enters your
apartment. An important way to keep your
air conditioning functioning efficiently is to periodically clean the filters
in the air conditioning unit and the ceiling fans.
Please consider not only cleaning the things
that obviously need cleaning but to strive to keep the Lord’s house (your
apartment) from ever becoming dirty. As stewards of a sacred place on earth, we
had a responsibility to keep it spotless.”
I promise you greater peace and the presence of the Spirit of the Lord
as you wisely fulfill your stewardship.
Elder Barney
Elder Barney
